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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · wake · roll · mark · game · firm · stock · press

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. roll — a cake
  4. firm — decided
  5. press — to push
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. press — a publisher
  8. game — wild animals
  9. firm — a company
  10. stock — shares
  11. roll — a list
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. firm — steady
  18. key — for a lock
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stock — goods
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. game — a match
  24. wake — a trail

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com